The USC Trojans have added the Missouri State Bears to their 2025 football schedule, it was announced on Wednesday.
USC will host Missouri State at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, Calif., on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025. The game will be the season-opener for both schools and it will also mark the first time that the two have squared off on the gridiron.
Missouri State University, located in Springfield, Mo., currently competes in the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Next year, the Bears are moving up to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and will play in Conference USA.
With the addition of Missouri State, USC now has all three opponents set for its 2025 non-conference schedule. In addition to Missouri State, the Trojans are scheduled to host the Georgia Southern Eagles on Sept. 6 and travel to face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Oct. 18.
USC was previously scheduled to open the 2025 season against the Ole Miss Rebels, but that contest, as well as the 2026 game in Oxford, Miss., were mutually canceled earlier this year.
In Big Ten action in 2025, USC is set to host Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, and UCLA and travel to Illinois, Nebraska, Oregon, and Purdue.
Missouri State has also completed its 2025 non-conference schedule with the addition of USC. After opening at USC, the Bears will travel to face the Marshall Thundering Herd on Sept. 6. Consecutive home games against the SMU Mustangs on Sept. 13 and the UT Martin Skyhawks on Sept. 20 are also on the docket.
UPDATE (Oct. 3, 2024)
Missouri State will receive a $1.15 million guarantee for the game at USC in 2025, per the copy of the contract obtained by FBschedules.com via an open records request to Missouri State University.
Football Schedules